Full Auto 2: Battlelines Preview

Since the days of Twisted Metal, car combat games have been a unique, if niche, genre, but outside the Twisted Metal series few franchises have proven very noteworthy. Sega attempted to break into the genre earlier this year with Full Auto for the Xbox 360, and it seems they're wasting no time bringing the franchise to the Playstation 3 with Full Auto 2.

Full Auto 2 really doesn't look or play too differently from the original, essentially giving you quasi-realistic looking cars with completely unrealistic modifications such as rocket launchers, machine guns, oil slicks and more. I was able to go head to head against some other players at the show in what was little more than a traditional deathmatch, if you consider driving around trying to blow each other up "traditional." Each car in the game had a different primary and secondary weapon system, allowing a certain amount of customization in the gameplay, though it didn't seem to matter terribly what you picked--almost everything caused almost everything else, including both the cars around you as well as the environment, to explode in the most violent ways.

Visually, Full Auto 2 does look a bit sharper than the original, but not by much. The destructible environments make for a lot of mayhem that, especially when engaging others in multiplayer matches, creates a frantic atmosphere that's quite fun indeed. It's not sure at this point, though, what specifically will set this sequel apart from the original, or if it's essentially just an updated port of the original Xbox 360 title. We'll let you know when we find out more.